With Keith Richards celebrating his 80th birthday on December 18, his friend Tom Waits has penned a poem in honor of The Rolling Stones legend that will be published in the January 2024 issue of the U.K. magazine Uncut. The piece, which is titled “Burnt Toast to Keith,” is an irreverent and surreal salute to Richards’ songwriting and guitar talents.
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“When I think about Keith, I am reminded that the best songs come from the gutter,” the poem begins, “but it is a hell of a place to fish when you have to sit on the curb. What do you use for bait? a piece of red cloth will do or a candy wrapper…Good songs jump right on your hook and the hook is in the song for good.”
Waits continues, “Keith can grit his teeth and he can voice chord with his upper lip /// and when the night is winding down…Keith sounds like an orchestra tuning up.”
As the poem nears is conclusion, Waits writes, “Keith…long may you twirl, Splash, curl, slash, take a blue marble and turn it into a 49 Mercury saw the girl in half and make the elephant disappear…”
The 74-year-old singer/songwriter ends his tribute by writing, “Happy Birthday KEITH the big 80 is here, slap it in the face and wake it up… Love, T O M W.”
Keith Richards and Tom Waits’ Collaborations
Richards and Waits have collaborated a handful of times over the years, with Richards playing guitar and singing on select songs on three of Waits’ albums—Rain Dogs (1985), Bone Machine (1992), and Bad as Me (2011). Richards also co-wrote a song with Waits called “That Feel” that appeared on Bone Machine.
[RELATED: See How The Rolling Stones Are Paying Tribute to Keith Richards on His 80th Birthday]
New Issue of Uncut Magazine
Richards appears on the cover of Uncut’s January 2024 issue, which also will stories about and tributes to the guitar great from his Stones bandmates Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood, as well as from as Jimmy Page, Johnny Marr, and many others.
Other Birthday Tributes to Richards
Meanwhile, a few other artists took to social media to wish Richards a Happy Birthday.
Sheryl Crow wrote, “To my dear friend, Keith Richards on your 80th… I hope today is the best birthday of all birthdays in the universe!” In addition, Crow acknowledged that today also was the 40th anniversary of Richards and his wife, Patti Hansen. “Love both of you!” she added.
Meanwhile, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash wrote, simply, “Happy Birthday #KeithRichards.”
Waits’ Full Poem
Here is Waits’ complete poem:
“Burnt Toast to Keith”
When I think about Keith, I am reminded that
the best songs come from the gutter…but it is a
hell of a place to fish when you have to sit on the curb
What do you use for bait? a piece of red cloth will do or a candy wrapper
Good songs jump right on your hook and the hook
is in the song for good…Keith can grit his teeth and he
can voice chord with his upper lip /// and when the night is winding
down…Keith sounds like an orchestra tuning up…
a blue schemer, in a wavy glass mirror, like partially
melted chords left out in the sun too long…and if you
listen to the chords that fall out of Keiths coat…it is
like broadway out of focus…an electric powder blue
fog bank with 100s of tunes inside, crying…They are
like fish just dying to get down in the pan and start frying.
Feathers, finger nails scabs and scars /// some songs are
written on the way to the studio in rented cars /// never confuse
the amount of time it takes with the depth of the duende eh ?
Keep the tape rolling Keith thinks, I am sitting on a BIG EGG and
it needs another minute or so before I can blow my top.
Keith…long may you twirl, Splash, curl, slash, take a blue marble
and turn it into a 49 Mercury saw the girl in half and make
the elephant disappear…
Happy Birthday KEITH the big 80 is here, slap it in the face
and wake it up… Love, T O M W
Rolling Stones’ 2024 Tour
As previously reported, Richards will be hitting the road next year with The Rolling Stones on a major North American tour in support of the band’s 2023 album, Hackney Diamonds. The trek kicks off April 28 in Houston and is plotted out through a July 17in Santa Clara, California.
Tickets for the dates are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
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